Maoist rebels killed five policemen in Jharkhand on Tuesday, police said, the latest in a series of violent incidents as states attempt to crack down on the rebels.

Police raided a Maoist hideout in a jungle in Jharkhand when rebels returned fire killing five policemen and injuring three, according to S.N. Pradhan, a police official.

Thousands have been killed in the Maoist insurgency in India which began in the late 1960s and which Prime Minister has described as one of the gravest threats to India's internal security.

Tue Jun 16, 2009 / (Reuters)

Four policemen were killed in a nearly two-hour-long gun battle with Maoist rebels in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided a Maoist hideout near Baherakhad village in Palamau, 180 km from the state capital. A gun battle ensued as the rebels, asked to surrender, opened fire at the police, police spokesman S.N.Pradhan said.

Seven policemen were injured in the gun battle, and four of them died on the way to hospital.

Last week, Maoist rebels had carried a spate of attacks on security personnel in West Singhbhum and Bokaro districts, killing 24 security personnel and injuring around 19.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts of Jharkhand. Nearly 1,500 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the last eight years.

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